March 3, 1945 Flight nurse Ensign Jane “Candy” Kendeigh became the first nurse to fly to and from an active battlefield when she flew from Guam to Iwo Jima to evacuate wounded soldiers. Flight nurses were required to swim a mile, tow or push a victim for 220 yards, and swim 440 yards in 10 minutes. Kendeigh was also the Navy’s first flight nurse on Okinawa.
